Love's Way
by TheAssassinRenevaron
Summary: Aerith wants nothing more than to help everyone with Geostigma. Her brother succombs to the illness and she'd do anything to help him. One night she goes to find a cure and finds herself surrounded by Midgar's renown bike gang. Will a hero arrive on time?
1. Chapter 1

The sound of sobbing and coughing broke through the silence of the night; interrupting her dreams and making her bright green eyes shoot open, concern and fear immediately replacing the fog of sleep.

Aerith quickly rose from her bed and ran to the door, the sound her pounding feet made on the wood flooring echoing the beat of her racing heart.

She wrenched upon the door and raced into her younger brother's room, hearing the rest of her family waking behind her.

"What's going on?" Her younger sister mumbled from the doorway, holding her favored teddy bear and rubbing the sleep from her young eyes.

Aerith knelt by her brother, Denzel's bed and whispered soothing words to him while brushing the sweat-soaked brown locks from his eyes.

She looked over her shoulder at her sister.

"Everything's okay, Marlene," Aerith reassured her with a gentle smile. "Go and get mommy for me please."

Marlene nodded quietly and Aerith watched as the younger girl raced off towards their mother's bedroom.

"It hurts…so much…" Denzel choked out, shaking violently. His forehead was hot to the touch and his skin pale and clammy.

"Shh…I know baby, I know." She gently pulled him into her arms and rocked him back and forth, wishing she knew what to do.

She pulled away her hand away from his forehead and grimaced. Black puss coated her fingertips, running down her hand and down Denzel's head.

It was called Geostigma, a relatively new disease that was traveling like wildfire around the slums of Midgar.

The disease had appeared only about a month ago but already hundreds of people had died. If you were unfortunate enough to catch it, the chances of death were extremely high, few, if any, survived.

This had gone on for three weeks already and there was nothing they could do but watch, comfort him as best they could, and clean him up after each attack.

It had been tiring and stressful for the whole family, their nerves were worn thin from nights without sleep and the haunting knowledge that he _might not live through this._

She was determined to do _something, _to help him and everyone else with the disease, but wasn't sure she could do anything at all. After all, she was only human…and what this needed was a miracle.

She quickly wiped the black substance on her dress and pushed the thoughts from her head.

It wouldn't do him any good if she just sat there in her own thoughts, doubting that he would live and that she would be able to help him.

She looked up when her mother, Elmyra, entered the room, Marlene looking at over at Denzel with wide, scared eyes.

Dark bags dropped under her mother's eyes, wrinkles lined her face, her hair was a mess and her shoulders were slightly slumped. It hurt Aerith to see the once proud lady resulting to this.

This was what happened when you know the one you love will die.

Elmyra walked over towards the bed silently and took her son in her arms, rocking him back and forth.

Aerith knelt quietly beside the bed, watching as he slowly fell asleep, while her mother dabbed at his forehead with a rag.

When his breathing had calmed and he was out cold, Elmyra stood up and motioned for Aerith to follow her.

Her mother led her to the kitchen and grabbed her coat from the closet, shrugging it on.

"Mother? Where are you-"Aerith started to ask, her eyes narrowed in confusion and concern.

"Stay here and watch your brother and sister, I'm going to the store to get more bandages and hopefully some medicine for Denzel. Be good and don't leave the house –"

"Mother, let me go and get it! You stay here and rest! You've been up with Denzel all week!"

Elymra's eyes widened in surprise but were quickly replaced by worry and fear.

"No! I can't let you go out at this time of night! It's dangerous!"

Aerith quickly shook her head.

"But momma, I can take care of myself! I'm fifteen now! I'm not a baby!" She wasn't aware that she had raised her voice until her mother hushed her quietly.

So in a quieter tone she continued, "Please, I want to feel like I can help…" She lowered her eyes, her fist clenching at her side.

She hated feeling helpless and she hoped her mother would let her go.

Elmyra sighed and slid into a seat at the kitchen table, putting her head in her hands. She sat like that for a long minute, the air around them tense and uncomfortable before she looked up with a sigh.

"Alright…I'll let you go but-_but_-" She added upon seeing Aerith's excited face and smile. "If you don't come back in one hour I'm coming to look for you! So hurry…"

Aerith felt like jumping up and down with joy, but she settled for a large grin instead, knowing her mother would dissaprove of the action. Normally Elmyra would have never let her do such a thing, especially without company.

She quickly hugged her mother.

"I'll be back in an hour, I promise!" She cried before grabbing her coat and rushing out the door.

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><p>Hello :D I decided that I needed a break from all my other stories for a little bit - <em>little<em> bit, like a day or two, don't worry - so I started writing this. I hope you all like it! Please review and tell me what you think, and any ideas you have! It'll be a great help!

NOTE: This story does not always follow the plot line of Crisis Core, if you havn't noticed, there are only a few parts that do. For example: Cloud is not a grunt. He is the man we see him as in Advent Children, only he doesn't know Aerith. He was once a SOLDIER First-Class, but deserted alongside Genesis Rhapsodos and Sephiroth. He works as a part-time mercanary. Tifa runs a bar in Sector 7 with her boyfriend, Cloud. She's pretty much the same Tifa as in Advent Children, only that she doesn't know Aerith or Zack. Zack is still mentored by Angeal, only in this story - or atleast in the opening chapters - he is a newly appointed SOLDIER First Class. He does not carry around the Buster Sword in the beggining. Aerith: She looks the same as she does in Final Fantasy 7, though without the bow in her hair because she doesn't know Zack. She is an Ancient, but does not know this yet. She lives with her mother, Elymra, and with her younger siblings, Marlene and Denzel. Angeal was once a SOLDIER First-Class, but was relived from his post due to a tramatic injury during the war with Wutai. He now runs a store in Sector 7. Reno is also the same as he was in Advent Children, only he deserted from ShinRa and the Turks around the same time Cloud, Genesis and Sephiroth did.

More information will be added about all the main characters as the story progresses. Aaaand...I think that's it! Thanks for listening to me blabble XP


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you . for reviewing :P I'm glad you like it :) Here is the next chapter for you! Thank you to everyone else who is reading or will read in the future! Enjoy!

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><p>Aerith was never happier to see the small little store in her life.<p>

Walking around the slums was scarier than she first expected it to be at night. Drunkards were wandering the streets, victims of Geostigma who were cast out by society, were huddled in cardboard boxes or wherever they could sleep, coughing and shaking. It didn't help that monsters also roamed the area, looking for easy prey.

The only thing that seemed at least a little comforting was that she had run into several ShinRa Infantryman along the way, patrolling the streets with their rifles held threateningly in their hands. The red lights on their helmets were eerie at first but Aerith slowly grew accustomed to them. Even though she didn't like ShinRa, she was glad that they were there to keep away any monsters that happened to be nearby and save her from the drunk men that were staring at her with evil intent.

She opened the door to the store and stepped inside, shrugging off the hood of her coat. She flashed a smile to the owner who was just getting ready to close up for the night, wiping down the counters and humming quietly.

His jaw dropped in shock when he saw her.

"Aerith!" He exclaimed.

She waved to him.

"Hello, Angeal. Sorry I came so late-"

"What are you doing out at this time of night!" His eyes were narrowed in disapproval and he put his hands on his hips. "It's dangerous for a young, pretty girl like yourself to be out this late! What were you thinking!"

Aerith flinched, upset at herself for making him worry so much.

She had known Angeal for years, ever since she was a little girl, and the two of them had developed a sort of father/daughter relationship over the years. "I'm sorry Angeal…but I had to come. It's Denzel again…"

Angeal's eyes immediately softened and his muscled arms fell limp at his sides.

"His Geostigma is acting up again?" He quietly asked, his eyes downcast.

Aerith nodded sadly.

Angeal knew Denzel and Marlene too. Aerith had often brought the two of them along with her when she came to get groceries here.

Angeal sighed, suddenly looking tired and older than he had in a while.

"I wish we knew what was causing this. I was hoping maybe ShinRa had an answer but they seem to be almost as confused as we do as to where it started." Angeal murmered. He looked up, seeming to remember what he was supposed to be doing. "Just a minute, I think I've got what you need in the back room…"

Aerith watched as the dark-haired man disappeared through the door behind the counter.

She waited patiently while he shuffled around the storage room.

She winced when several crashes ensued, breaking the silence. Curses followed after the crash, making Aerith giggle a little.

"Angeal?" She asked in concern, trying to hide the amusement in her voice. "Are you alright?"

For a moment, nothing was heard but mumbling and more swearing, before Angeal answered in a sour tone.

"Peachy, just peachy."

Aerith couldn't help but smile at the sarcasm.

Angeal returned a few minutes later, carrying a bottle of medicine and a case of pills, along with some bandages.

He set them on the counter than dusted the dirt and cobwebs off his black, sleeveless turtleneck with a frown.

"Stupid spiders…" He mumbled, making Aerith giggle again.

She had forgotten that Angeal wasn't a fan of spiders.

Smiling and shaking her head at him, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a handful of change, attempting to hand it to him.

Angeal smiled and took her hand, closing her fingers around the coins.

"No," He shook his head. "You keep that, I'll give it to you free."

Aerith's jaw dropped.

"But Angeal-" She protested. Trying to shove the money towards him again. Angeal began to laugh, shaking his head at her persistence.

"There is no honor in making you pay for something that probably would have gone to waste any way. Most people around here can't afford medicine so most of it just goes to waste and expires. Besides, you're a friend." Angeal smiled warmly at her and ran a hand through his black hair.

Aerith, her eyes wide with surprise, smiled back.

_Typical Angeal. _

"Thank you, Angeal, thank you so much."

"Don't mention it, I'm happy to help. There's not much one can do to help out the poor people who have the misfortune of getting the disease…"

Aerith nodded sadly, agreeing with him.

She wished so badly that she could help…but what could she, what could _anyone_, do?

Angeal sighed and stretched, looking at the clock on the wall above the front door as he did so. He smiled lightly.

"Ah, work is done for the night and I am free to go home - and eat a cold dinner!" He grinned, making Aerith laugh at how 'happy' he sounded.

"You? Sarcasm?" She asked, an eyebrow raised and a grin on her face.

Angeal shrugged, grinning sheepishly.

"Zack must be rubbing off on me," He admitted.

Aerith smiled. Angeal had mentioned Zack a couple times, told her how hyper and impatient he was. The seventeen year old was currently training under Angeal's tutelage to further his skills as a SOLDIER, ShinRa's elite combat force.

Angeal had once been in SOLDIER as well, but had been wounded in one of the many wars with Wutai and had decided to retire and live a normal life, running the small convenience store they now stood in.

"Well, I should probably get going," Aerith started, reluctant to leave the comfort, safety and warmth of the little shop and Angeal but knowing she should hurry home to keep her mother from worrying to much.

"Mother will worry if I stay out too long." She explained, taking the medicine and bandages and putting the items in the pockets of her coat.

Angeal nodded.

"Let me walk you out at least," He said, reaching for his jacket and slipping into it before walking over towards the door and opening it, gesturing for Aerith to go first.

Aerith smiled at him and together they walked out into the cold night, making her wish she would have stayed inside for just a little longer.

"Do you want me to walk you home, Aerith?" Angeal asked as they walked towards their homes.

She quickly shook her head.

"I'll be okay, my house isn't too far anyway."

Angeal hesitated.

"I'll be_ fine_, Angeal." She laughed, patting him on the arm. "It's not going to take ten minutes for me to get home and I'm a big girl, I can look after myself."

Angeal sighed.

"I know you are but…it doesn't make me feel any better about it. At least let me go with you halfway."

Aerith thought for a second then nodded.

"I don't see any problem with that," She smiled up at him.

"Exactly." He nodded, putting his hands in his pockets.


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn't long till they had to part ways, both going their seperate directions after several minutes of Angeal trying, once more, to get her to let him walk with her home.

Aerith couldn't help but smile as she continued towards the direction of her house.

Angeal could be so over-protective at times but she wouldn't have him anyway else. Besides, she understood his concern. It was nearly one in the morning, the perfect time for the drunks and the gangs to be out.

She had just passed the old church she spent most of her time in, when she wasn't needed home, when a low hum nagged in her ear.

At first she had pushed it away, mistaking the noise as unimportant, but then, when it didn't go away, she became more cautious.

The noise seemed to be getting louder as she walked and more insistent.

The hair on the back of her neck rose and she swore she felt a pair of eyes watching her every step. Her heart rate quickened and as it did, so did the pace she was walking until she was almost running.

The hum got closer and closer with each second and Aerith desperately wished that she had allowed Angeal to come along. She would have felt much safer with the retired SOLDIER around.

Only when the noise was almost upon her, did Aerith figure out what it belonged to.

The sound of multiple motorcycles.

A bike gang.

Terror rose up in Aerith's chest and she started to run, wanting to get home before they got any closer.

At this time of night, almost everyone who wasn't in their homes or dying on the streets, were either drunk or getting there.

A young girl walking the streets at night was bound to find trouble, as she had heard so many times.

She didn't want to wait and see if these men were drunk and looking for trouble or if they were nice and just happened to be passing by.

Soon, laughing was heard behind her and the motorcycles got closer and closer before they zoomed past her at a blur.

_Phew…maybe they didn't see me? Or they didn't care?_

Aerith's shoulders dropped in relief but it was quickly short lived when the biker in the front pulled his motorcycle to a quick halt, making it slide sideways for a couple feet.

She couldn't see his face, he had it hidden behind a red and black helmet, but she assumed he was the leader.

The rest of the bikes, six of them, each with a different design, came to a halt beside their leader.

The leader's smirk was seen behind his helmet before he pulled it off, revealing slightly messy copper hair and glowing, blue eyes.

"SOLDIER," Aerith gasped quietly, recognizing the color and glow that was similar to Angeal's eyes.

Oh no…this was not good, not good at all.

She couldn't fight off a SOLDIER…

"Well, well," He spoke, his voice silky and rhythmic, almost musical. "Look what we have here."

Aerith gulped as he walked towards her, the smirk still on his face.

The torn red leather coat flapped in the cold breeze behind him like a wing, the sleeve on the right side was ripped off, revealing a black bandana tied around his upper arm. His eyes reminded her of the ocean, deep and rich in color.

"It's not safe for a girl like you to be out here all alone," The man purred, quickly covering the last couple steps between them in two strides and roughly grabbing her chin with his thumb and pointer finger.

_Boy if I had a nickel for every time I heard that tonight…_

Aerith shut her eyes tightly at his touch.

_Angeal…where are you? Why am I so stupid? This wouldn't be happening if you had let him come along!_

"Genesis," A quiet voice warned the leader, making Aerith open her eyes.

Her gaze met that of the person who spoke and she nearly gasped aloud.

Eyes like ice stared back at her, glowing brightly with Mako. Those eyes looked like they had seen more than any normal man ever saw in a lifetime, swam with emotions but more than that, held a deep hatred for something Aerith did not know.

His blonde hair was spiked up in every direction, faintly reminding Aerith of a Chocobo. He wore a sleeveless black sweater, looking almost identical to the one Angeal had worn, only that it had a zipper running down the front of it. A single pauldron, with what looked to be a wolf emblem on the front of it, sat on his shoulders, with several straps holding the outfit together. Like Genesis, there was no sleeve hanging from his right arm, and a tattoo of the wolf on his pauldron, encased in flames, ran around his upper arm, almost in the same place Genesis had the black bandana.

Something about him made her feel uneasy, like he could read her like a book.

"Quiet, Strife…"Genesis murmured without turning around to face him, his blue eyes staring, and never leaving, her green ones. "You're awfully pretty…"

"Genesis!" The young man with blonde hair spoke again, his eyes flashing.

Genesis turned around now, fury on his face.

"What?" He snapped in annoyance.

"Cloud," Another sinister voice said, making Aerith turn her attention to them. "Let him do as he wants."

A man with long silver hair sat atop his bike, his helmet on his knee. His cat-like, green eyes were scarier than Cloud's, but didn't look as if they had seen nearly as much as he did, though they shared the same hatred, the one she saw in Genesis' eyes too, she realized.

The young man with blonde hair turned his head to snarl at the man, but kept quiet, merely watching the scene with distaste.

Behind Cloud sat another rider, a girl with long brown hair and crimson eyes. She was dressed in a leather, sleeveless shirt that exposed some of her stomach, the tattoo of the wolf also on her right arm. She wore a leather skirt that's front ended just above her knee caps but draped almost to her ankles in the back.

Genesis seemed to notice her interest in the rest of the gang and smirked, taking her hand and leading her to the rest of the members.

He pointed to Cloud first, ignoring the fact that she was trying to struggle out of his grip. His grip on her hand tightened in warning and Aerith whimpered.

"This is Cloud Strife and behind him is his girlfriend, Tifa Lockhart. The guy with long silver hair is called Sephiroth and the red-head," He pointed to a young man about Cloud's age with spiky red hair that was tied back into a long, pony tail. He was sitting on the ground, leaning lazily against his bike. "That's Reno and the guys behind him," He gestured towards three younger men, all of whom looked about a year or two younger than Cloud and all resembled Sephiroth with the silver hair and green, cat-like eyes. "Their names are Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo, Sephiroth's younger brothers and the newest editions to our group."

Aerith tried to muster up a smile for all of them but it came out more of a grimace, she wasn't sure she liked any of them.

Cloud nodded slightly to her, the closest thing to a greeting he could probably muster, and Tifa offered a small smile.

"Yo, wassup?" Reno drawled out, smirking at her, his eyes showing nothing but evil intent.

Aerith _definatley_ did not like him.

Sephiroth, Loz and Yazoo didn't even nod their head, just stared with cold eyes.

Genesis turned back around, ignoring the rest of his group, and replaced his hand on her chin. His fingers slipped free of her hand and instead, he wrapped his arm around her waist, keeping her from escaping and descreasing the space between them.

Aerith swallowed hard when Genesis' grip on her chin tightened.

She watched in horror as he lowered his head, leaning toward her. His chin dug into her shoulder and she could feel his hot breath on her neck, making her heart race in fear and her stomach churn. Her breaths came quickly and she really wished she hadn't been foolish enough to leave home at this type of night.

"I'd let the boys introduce their selves to you more – _appropriately_" He growled in her ear._ "_…but I don't like to share."

Aerith fought back a gasp in terror, understanding what he meant and what it was he wanted.

"N-no, please-" She closed her eyes tightly, trying to keep the tears away.

This couldn't be happening.

Genesis chuckled darkly, interrupting her, and she felt his lips brush against her neck and felt his fingertips run across her cheek after he realeased her chin.

"Genesis," Cloud's warning came again, making a small hope blossom in Aerith's chest. Maybe Cloud would keep Genesis from doing anything.

"Cloud, shut up yo!" Reno barked. "I wanna watch!"

"Reno," Aerith heard Tifa sigh. "Stop being such a pig."

"Pig? Who are ya' calling a pig!"

Quiet chuckles came from Cloud, Loz, Yazoo and Kadaj.

"All of you shut up!" Sephiroth's voice cut through the argument and the dispute - and the laughing - ended quickly, though Aerith could still feel the tension in the air.

She couldn't help but whimper when Genesis' hot lips kissed her neck again.

_Angeal…_

Suddenly, a scream was heard from behind them and Aerith felt Genesis lift his head and heard him growl in frustration.

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><p>AN: Aaaaah! You have no idea how hard it was for me to write Genesis like this T.T For some reason, no offense Reno or Sephiroth fans, but I can totally imagine one of them being drunk and doing something like this but I thought to myself: Why not let it be Genesis? It'll add a nice little twist to the plot line :3 So~I did, despite how hard it was to write one of my favorite characters like this DX But anyway! Please review and continue reading :) Love you all! And thanks so much!


	4. Chapter 4

She opened her eyes to see that everyone else's attention was focused on whoever it that had called out.

A young man burst out from behind a pile of boxes, summersaulting through the air and landing behind where Aerith and Genesis were standing.

"Let her go!" Aerith heard him snarl.

She turned around, twisting out of Genesis' grip on her waist, to see a young man, about a year or two older than her, with spiky, black hair and glowing eyes that flashed with anger. Tightly in his hand, he held a standard issued ShinRa sword and he wore the uniform of a First-Class.

Genesis snarled at the boy, a ball of fire slowly appearing in the palm of his hand, temporarily releasing Aerith. She quickly ran behind the boy, her eyes wide with fear.

The young man flashed her a reassuring grin, and threw his arm out to protect her.

"ShinRa scum…" Genesis hissed, pulling his hand back and releasing the fireball towards the boy. Aerith jumped to the side with a squeak, deciding it was probably safer to stay out of the way.

The SOLDIER quickly rolled out of harm's way and jumped back up to his feet, his jaw clenched in determination.

"Nice to see you again, Genesis." The younger man smirked.

"Zack," Genesis spat, already summoning another fireball.

"We can outnumber him, yo!" Reno cried, scrambling to his feet. "He's only a pesky, weak little runt anyway, yo! He doesn't look like he's been a First long!"

"A piece of cake," Sephiroth smirked and his brothers cackled.

Cloud remained emotionless, his face a mask of stone. Tifa fidgeted in her seat and whispered something into Cloud's ear, who nodded slightly.

Genesis grinned.

"Yes, you're all alone this time, your mentor can't save you now."

Zack raised an eyebrow.

"Who said I was alone?"

As if on cue, several of ShinRa's Turks appeared from the shadows, their pistols each pointing towards Genesis, followed by a few Infantrymen, their rifles loaded. A couple SOLDIER operatives also emerged from the shadows, their swords held tightly in their hands.

Aerith had never been so happy to see people from ShinRa before in her life, despite how much she disliked the company itself.

She watched as Reno paled.

"I don't wanna fight _Turks_, yo!"

"Is this a patrol duty or something?" Kadaj snorted, unimpressed.

"They should prove to be no problem for us," Sephiroth grinned. "They're all a bunch of Seconds and Thirds, they stand no change against the three of us."

"But they have a larger group than we do," Cloud pointed out. "And not only do they have short range weapons, but long ranged as well. Turks have deadly accuracy and there is no way, even people of our caliber, could block both their bullets and the SOLDIER's swords."

"Stop trying to sound so smart, yo!" Reno growled, making Cloud shrug.

Genesis growled again, realizing that Cloud was right.

He turned to his team and reluctantly ordered them to retreat.

With a cold glance Zack's direction, Genesis jumped onto his bike and peeled away from the scene, the Turk's bullets rattling off his bike along with Reno's, Sephiroth's, his brother's and then lastly, Cloud's.

Zack looked at the group of Infantryman, Turks and SOLDIER and scratched the back of his head.

"Well, that turned out better than I hoped. I figured they'd stay and fight…guess not."

Zack then seemed to remember Aerith was there and quickly ran to her.

"Are you all right?"

Aerith nodded and threw her arms around him.

"Thank you so much for saving me! I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come out when you did!" She couldn't help but sob into his chest, the truth of what almost happened suddenly registering in her brain.

Zack awkwardly patted her back and when she pulled away from him with a mumbled apology, all he did was smile and wave away her thanks and her gratitude.

"I always help out a lady in distress." He winked.

Aerith smiled up at him and wiped away her tears quickly.

"How did you find me?"

Zack shrugged, suddenly looking sheepish. He shoved his hands in his pockets after returning his sword to it's place on his back.

"We were sent to deal with a large garrison of monsters that were roaming the area - experiments that managed to escape the labs. They would have been too much for just the Infantryman to handle alone, so ShinRa ordered me and," Zack gestured to the other SOLDIER members and the Turks. "The guys to handle it. We picked up the Infantryman on the way and - oh!" He suddenly said, grinning stupidly. He nervously scratched the back of his head. "I'm rambling again. Sorry about that. Anyway, we managed to find most of the monsters. We were on our way back to the ShinRa building to rest up for the night before continuing our search, we ran into Angeal. He told me you were on your way home and asked me to make sure you got there safely."

Aerith took in his story and smiled wider. She pulled him into another hug.

"Thank you so much!" She cried, her voice muffled in his sweater. "I'm so glad you came!"

Zack laughed.

"Like I said, don't mention it. I'm just glad I got here in time."

Aerith nodded, quickly pulling away from him, a blush rising to her cheeks when she realized she had held the hug just a little longer than necessary.

"M-me too! I'll have to thank Angeal next to time I see him, too."

"Yup!" Zack cried with a grin, placing his hands on his hips and walking foreword a couple steps. "Who knew Angeal being so over-protective would turn out to be something more than just useless words?" Zack shrugged, making Aerith giggle.

"Maybe," She told him, trying to keep her face serious even though a smile tugged at her lips. "You should listen to him more, Mr. SOLDIER." She jabbed him in the chest with a grin.

Zack clutched a hand to his chest, pretending to be hurt.

"What a way to thank a guy who just saved your life!" He pouted, winking to let her know he was joking, and causing Aerith to laugh again.

She clasped her hands behind her back with an innocent little smile and circled him, pretending to observe him closely.

Now that she got the chance to really look at him, she realized how handsome he was.

The light from one of the torches at the side of the road lit up his face perfectly, making his blue eyes shine brightly and giving his tanned skin a flawless appearance except for the small X-shaped scar across one of his cheeks. His black, spiky hair gave him a boyish charm and she had to admit he was kinda cute.

Suddenly Zack laughed, making her stop circling him.

"Am I?" He grinned, causing her to blush violently.

_Did I…say that out loud?_

She mentally kicked herself for admitting that. She had never had a crush on anyone before, let alone seen many boys her own age, but she hardly even knew Zack! She had heard countless stories from Angeal and he seemed to be kind enough from their little time together, but…

Zack beamed at her before turning around to address the group of warriors behind him.

"You guys head back to the ShinRa building. I'll walk this pretty lady home."

Aerith blinked.

_Wait did he just say…?_

"No, Aerith, you're just imagining things…" She muttered under her breath.

Unfortunatley, she had forgotten that SOLDIER had enhanced hearing and nearly jumped out of her skin when Zack asked: "Imagining what?"

"N-nothing!" She squeaked.

Zack chuckled.

"Sure. Now, let's get you home safely. I'm sure your parents are worried."


End file.
